This invention relates to a method of manufacturing door edge guards for use in the protection of sheet metal edges, such as those used in automotive doors, from damage from impacts with and by other objects.
Door edge guards typically are applied to the vertical sheet metal edges of automotive doors in a self-adhering manner. The edge guards are formed in a U-shape for this purpose and are made from a metal of decorative character. Steel, either stainless or plated, is the metal usually chosen because of its strength, formability, spring characteristics and ability to accommodate doors of varying and various thicknesses. Separate fasteners or adhesive for the door edge guards generally is considered to be unacceptable by automobile manufacturers, after-market dealers and end-users of these devices. Also, edge guards that would add to the likelihood of door edge corrosion are unsatisfactory. For this reason, there is a demand for edge guards that have an inner liner that prevents metal-to-metal contact between the edge guard and the somewhat dissimilar metal of the door itself. Usually, the inner liner is made from a vinyl or other suitable plastic material.
When plastic liners are used in door edge guards, it is customary to fabricate the inner plastic liner as a plastic extrusion that has a U-shape and that is positioned in the slightly larger U-shaped metal outer element prior to assembly of the plastic and metal elements on the door edge. The plastic element is in direct contact with the door while the resiliency of the steel (or other outer element material) effectively fastens the assembly on the door edge. The plastic has the advantage of preventing some of the scratching and chipping of the door's paint which, in its absence, might occur during sliding of the U-shaped edge guard assembly over the door edge.